Chapter 1 Summary

Tod Hackett watches the approaching cavalry and infantrymen with mild interest. They are resplendent in their epaulets and fluttering plumes. The noise of horse hooves and swords in shields is broken by a voice, amplified through a megaphone, that informs the group that they are headed the wrong way.

Tod looks out through his window at a Hollywood sound stage. The little man with the megaphone chases after the celluloid army to get them to the correct stage. Tod watches them until they disappear and decides that it's time to leave for the day. He'll take a streetcar to Vine Street and then walk the rest of the way.

Tod has been in Hollywood not quite three months. He still finds it fascinating every day. A talent scout hired him on the strength of some drawings he exhibited at the Yale School of...